Spring device



Sept. 27, 96@ R, H, E. Y slcHEL 3,275,311

SPRING DEVICE Filed April 22, 1954 INVENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,275,311 SPRING DEVICE Ramon Hubert Eber-stadt ySichel, Mexico City, Mexico (Ap. Postal 310, Queretaro, Queretaro,Mexico) Filed Apr. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 361,774 Claims. (Cl. 267-1) Thisinvention relates to a spring device and more particularly to arelatively small spring means which may readily fit into small orrestricted spaces Where other known spring elements are useless.

A primary object of this invention is the provision of a spring devicewhich is sturdy and durable in construction, reliable and efficient inoperation, and relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture andmaintain.

Another object of this invention is to provide a spring device which maybe used either singly or in various combinations, a plurality of devicesbeing stacked in superimposed relation for increased spring action orfor obtaining spring action in a plane offset at a selected angle withrespect to a force being received thereby.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a spring deviceincluding stop means to limit the total spring action.

Other and further objects reside in the combination of elements,arrangement of parts, and features of construction. 1

Still other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed outas the description of the invention proceeds and as shown in theaccompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of one ernbodiment of springdevice in accordance with the instant inventive concept;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view therethrough takensubstantially on line 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of a moditied spring device;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view therethrough takensubstantially on line 4 4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of a still further modication ofspring device in accordance with the instant inventive concept;

FIGURE 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view therethrough takensubstantially on line 6 6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of yet another form of springdevice;

FIGURE 8 is a transverse cross-Sectional view therethrough takensubstantially on line 8-8 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary transverse cross-sectional view through aplurality of sheets having spring devices in accordance with .theinstant invention in superimposed stacked relationship;

FIGURE 10 is a view similar to FIGURE 9 showing a pair of superimposedsheets with spring devices nestingly related to provide a stop meanslimiting the total spring action;

FIGURE l1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a spring device inaccordance with the instant invention having a plurality of resilientelements all formed on one side of a base sheet;

FIGURE 12 is a view similar to FIGURE 11 showing resilient elements onboth sides of the base sheet; and

FIGURE 13 is a view similar to FIGURES 9 and 10 showing a plurality ofsuperimposed stacked sheets with resilient elements of different heightsto provide a spring action in a plane offset from .the .direction ofapplied force.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing in general, and more particularly toFIGURES 1 and 2, one form of spring device in accordance with theinstant inventive concept is designated generally by the referencenumeral 20 and Patented Sept. 27, 1966 JCC comprises a base element 22in the form of a sheet or the like with a single resilient member 24carried thereby, one end 26 of the resilient member 24 being integralwith the base sheet 22 and the other end 28 slidingly engaging the lowersurface 30 of the base sheet 22. The intermediate portion 32 of theresilient element 24 is arcuate in form to provide a surface againstwhich a force may be applied. The resilient member 24 of this embodimentis in the form of a tongue pressed from the base sheet 22 to define anopening 34 therein, the tongue then being elongated by drawing the samein any conventional manner so that its end portion 28 slidingly engagesthe surface 3i) in spaced relationship to the opening l34. Anyconventional punching, drawing, tempering, rolling or forging operationsmay be utilized in the manufacture of the device if it is formed from ametal. However, it will be readily understood Ithat this device may beformed of plastic or other such conventional materials.

A stop means in the form of a stop member 36 punched from the baseshee-t 22 is positioned to abuttingly engage ythe end 28 of theresilient member 24 on compression of the arcuate intermediate portion32 of the same there-by limiting the spring action.

The embodiment of FIGURES 3 and 4 is substantially the same as Itheembodiment of FIGURES l and 2, similar parts being designated by similarreference characters followed by the suihx a, the only differencebetween these embodiments being that the base sheet 22a in `theembodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 is inverted whereby the end 28a of theresilient member 24a engages the top surface 30a of the same when thearcuate intermediate portion 32 is compressed.

A modied embodiment is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein similar parts aredesignated by similar reference characters followed by the suffix bf Inthis embodiment the end 26b of the resilient member 24b and the stopmember 36h are each spot welded to the base sheet 22b as indicated indotted lines at 38 and 40 in FIG- URE 5.

The embodiment of FIGURES 7 and 8 has similar parts designated bysimilar reference characters followed by the suiiix c and issubstantially the same as the embodiment of FIGURES 5 and 6, ,the basicdifference being .that the end 26C of the resilient member 24e is seamor butt welded at 42 within the opening 34e rather `than the spot welds38.

FIGURE 9 shows a plurality of base sheets 20d, 20e, and 20f insuperimposed stacked relationship to increase Ithe spring action, thearcuate intermediate portions of resilient members carried by one -basesheet being abuttingly engaged with one surface of the next lower basesheet, and the arcuate intermediate portions of the lowest resilientmembers 24f abuttingly engaging a fixed member such as 44 which providesthe compression.

FIGURE 10 shows spring devices 20g and 20h with their resilient members24g and 24h in nesting relationship, the intermediate arcuate portions32g and 32h abuttingly engaging the surfaces 30g and 30h of the oppositebase sheets 22g and 22h. In this embodiment portions of each resilientmember -on one base element abuttingly engage portions of a resilientmember on the other base element on compression of .the arcuateintermediate portion of one of the resilient members thereby limitingthe spring action and defining a stop means.

FIGURE 11 shows a spring device 201' including a base element 221 in theform of a sheet having a plurality of resilient members 241' all ofwhich extend on one side of -the base sheet 221.

In the spring device 20j shown in FIGURE 12, the base sheet 22j hasresilient members 24j extending on both sides of the same.

A plurality of spring devices 20k, 201, and 20m` are superimposed in theembodiment of FIGURE 13 with resilient members of various heightswhereby the spring action is provided in a plane offset with respect Itothe direction of compressive force as will be readily evident from theangle formed by the base sheet 22k and the base sheet 22m. These springdevices may be nested as shown with 20k and 201 in the manner of theembodiment of FIGURE or merely stacked as with 20! and 20m in the mannerof the embodiment of FIGURE 9.

The embodiments shown in the drawing are merely illustrative. It will beobvious that various other combinations of the spring devices may bearranged for speciiic desired results. Each of the resilient members maybe of any desired contour and cross-section, regular or irregular, solidor with one or more serrations or perforations so long as it includesone portion secured to the base element and another portion slidinglyengaging a surface of the base element, with an intermediate portionshaped to give spring type action. The number and size of resilientmembers -on each base element may be Varied at will as well as thenumber of base elements utilized in cooperative stacked relationship.

The manner of making the spring devices of the instant invention may bemodified to include casting, molding, injection molding or sintering ofdiscrete metal or plastic particles.

All the resilient members on a base element, or only certain of thesame, may be limited in their displacement to produce a desired effect.Similarly, several base elements with various size resilient members maybe combined to produce displacement in any desired direction withrespect to =the applied force. By nestingly engaging certain of the baseelements a limitation on the spring action may be readily provided.

It will now be seen that there is herein provided an improved springdevice which satisfies all of the objectives of the instant invention,and others, including many advantages of great practical utility andcommercial irnportance.

Since many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and sincemany modiiications may -be made of the embodients hereinbefore shown anddescribed, it is -to be understood -that all matter herein is to beinterpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A spring device including at least one base element, a plurality oftongues, each having two ends and an arcuate intermediate portion, oneof said ends of each resilient tongue being secured to said baseelement, and the other of said ends of each resilient tongue slidinglyengaging one surface of said base element, said base element comprisinga sheet, an opening being defined in said sheet for each resilienttongue, each tongue being pressed from said sheet to define itsassociated opening, one end of each tongue being integral with said baseelement and having its arcuate intermediate portion overlying itsassociated opening, and each tongue being elongated in order that itsother end slidingly engages said sheet in spaced relationship to itsassociated opening.

2. The structure of claim 1 further including, in c0mbination, stopmeans for each resilient tongue, each stop means abuttingly engaging aportion of its associated resilient tongue on compression of saidarcuate intermediate portion of the same to limit the spring action.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein each stop means includes a stopmember integrally formed with said base element and abuttingly engagingsaid other end of its associated resilient tongue on compression of saidarcuate intermediate portion of the same.

4. The structure of claim 2 wherein a plurality of base elements aresuperimposed, said resilient tongues on one base element nesting in saidresilient tongues on the other base element, portions of each resilienttongue on one base element abuttingly engaging portions of a resilienttongue on the other base element on compression of the arcuateintermediate portion of one of the resilient tongues to define said stopmeans.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein a plurality of base elements aresuperimposed, and said arcuate intermediate portions of dilerentresilient tongues are of progressively different heights and abut thearcuate intermediate portions of adjacent tongues to incline saidplurality of base elements with respect to each other.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 495,218 4/1893Coe. 1,384,229 7/1921 Bolich. 1,572,735 2/1926 McNeil 267-1 2,091,1958/1937 Dennebaum 267-1 X 2,125,766 8/1938 Carlisle 267-1.5 2,217,89310/1940 Dunaje 267-103 X 2,656,890 10/1953 Brandon 267-1 X 2,661,94212/1953 Wilbur 267-2 3,112,924 12/1963 Reed 267-103 FOREIGN PATENTS`602,769 6/ 1948 Great Britain.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

W. B. WILBER, R. M. WOHLFARTH,

Assistant Examiners.

1. A SPRING DEVICE INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE BASE ELEMENT, A PLURALITY OFTONGUES, EACH HAVING TWO ENDS AND AN ARCUATE INTERMEDIATE PORTION, ONEOF SAID ENDS OF EACH RESILIENT TONGUE BEING SECURED TO SAID BASEELEMENT, AND THE OTHER OF SAID ENDS OF EACH RESILIENT TONGUE SLIDABLYENGAGING ONE SURFACE OF SAID BASE ELEMENT, SAID BASE ELEMENT COMPRISINGA SHEET, AN OPENING BEING DEFINED IN SAID SHEET FOR EACH RESILIENTTONGUE, EACH TONGUE BEING PRESSED FROM SAID SHEET TO DEFINE ITSASSOCIATED OPENING, ONE END OF EACH TONGUE BEING INTEGRAL WITH SAID BASEELEMENT AND HAVING ITS ARCUATE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OVERLYING ITSASSOCIATED OPENING, AND EACH TONGUE BEING ELONGATED IN ORDER THAT ITSOTHER END SLIDABLY ENGAGES SAID SHEET IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO ITSASSOCIATED OPENING.